Abstract:Surface characteristics and chemical compositions of activated carbon(AC), plant ash(PA) and sediment(S) were measured. Sorption isotherms, sorption and desorption kinetics of sevin on these 3 sorbents were examined, respectively. Batch experiments showed that the sorption mechanisms of carbonaceous sorbents containing similar chemical compositions and dissimilar pore configurations were different. AC having more mesoporous than PA exhibited complex adsorption process to sevin while PA showed near partition process. The sorption quantity of sevin on AC was significantly higher than on PA. The surface area normalized saturated capacities demonstrated that surface area was crucial factors determining sorption quantities of carbonaceous sorbents. The desorption quantity of sevin on AC was significantly less than the sorption quantity on AC, corresponding to sevin desorption quantity on PA, which was closed to the sorption capacity on PA. Both desorption kinetic data of AC and PA were well fitted by pseudo one-stape dynamics equation. It was indicating that the sevin molecules distributing onto the sorbent surface possibly released by partition model. The sorption capacities of sevin on sediment increased, but the desorption capacities decreased, after adding AC and PA, implying that both AC and PA could be used as sorbent amendments of contaminated sediment. But the sorption in complex sediment environment was not simple superimpose.